Image Courtesy of The Sports Ledger
THE NFL'S STARS who made headlines during the playoffs
With the 2024-2025 NFL playoffs, riddled with exciting endings and upsets, officially coming to a close, many fans wonder how we once again got a Chiefs Super Bowl and how they should feel about it. Would the potential long-term effect of a Chiefs’ three-peat have been detrimental to football, or does the Eagles firm dismantling the very dynasty they lost against two years ago satisfy the storylike and heroic ending fans want?
The road to the Super Bowl this year has been similar to past playoffs, with common wins and matchups. Only one lower-seed team pulled off an upset victory this year: the Commanders, who beat the three-seed Buccaneers with a game-winning field goal as the clock hit zero. They also moved on to defeat the favored one-seed Lions in a rather shocking 45-point victory, all while being led by their Offensive Rookie of the Year winner at quarterback in his second playoff appearance, Jaden Daniels.
In the AFC Divisional Round, the Ravens had a chance to tie the game against the Bills late. However, with the game on the line, Mark Andrews dropped a crucial pass in the endzone, which would’ve been good for a two-point conversion, essentially handing the Bills the win. Fantasy football champion Eli Ess remarked, “When it comes to the playoffs, it’s hard to say which teams are better than others. What happened could have easily been reversed, but any team that gives up over thirty points can’t say they should’ve won, even with a high-powered offense.”
Avid football fanatic Jesse Roybal ‘27 stated, “Within the last two weeks, many fans have been disappointed as once again they got the same disheartening pool of teams we get every year for the Super Bowl.” The Chiefs have been dominant in their run, being near the top of the league, but holding against 2000-yard rusher Saquon Barkley is a different story. In his last two playoff games against the Rams and Commanders, he has run and caught for an astonishing 354 yards and five touchdowns, single-handedly carrying the Eagles offense to both wins. Next year, fans can only wish for a new batch of teams to make deep runs into the playoffs.